Transport of aqueous emulsions of liquid explosives



Fe. fi, 194 5. (5 R E ET AL 2,368,338

TRANSPORT OF AQUEOUS EMULSIONS 0F LIQUID EXPLOSIVES Filed Sept. 2, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet l' /.-uwa.-"...

George Bpzl gce Vernon [1. zllz'ams INVENTORS ATTORNEY G BRYCE ETAL 2,368,638

TRANSPORT OF AQUEOUS EMULSIONS OF LIQUID EXPLOSIVES F lled Sept 2, 1941 INVENTORS ATTORNEY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 George 5 Vernon If VVz'Z/z'ams Feb. 6, 1945. e. BRYCE ET AL 2,368,638

TRANSPORT OF AQUEOUS EMULSIONS OF LIQUID EXPLOSIVES Filed Sept. 2, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 3- Ge oz ge B2 C2 Vernon H ZZ/z'ams INVENTORS ATTORNEY Feb. 6, 1945. ca. BRYCE ET AL TRANSPORT OF AQUEOUS EMULSIONS OF LIQUID EXPLOSIVES Filed Sept. 2, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 6e az ge 2" ca Vemzzonfi Vl iiz'ams INVENTORS ATTORNEY Feb. 6, 1945. G BRYCE ET A 2,368,638

TRANSPORT OF AQUEOUS EMULSIONS OF LIQUID EXPLOSIVES Filed Sept. 2, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 George 2 (3e Verzzozzh'. z'jlz'ams INVENTORS ATTORNEY gutters or pipes.

Patented Feb. 6, 1945 2,368,638 TRANSPORT or AQUEOUS EMULSIONS or LIQUID E XPLO SIVES George Bryce, West Kilbride, and Vernon Harcourt Williams, Ardrossan,

Application September 2, 1941, Serial No.

In Great Britain September 2, 1940 2 Claims. (01. 52-19) The present invention relates to an improved met od and apparatus for transferring liquid explosives from one place to another.

its destination along a, line of Should a detonation occur in the line in which the liquid nitric ester is flowing or in a building connected thereto, it may be propagated'along the liquid nitric ester flowing in the line which may thus communicate a detonation from one building to another. In order to avoid the propagation of a detonation through the liquid nitric ester during its transport, the liquid nitric ester ported in the form of an which the liquid nitric ester is dispersed in a continuous aqueous phase. The aqueous emulsions of" liquid nitric esters, easily; and difliculty may be experienced in mainthe two places is reduced. A to provide apparatus suitable Further objects will appear distance between further object is for this purpose. hereinafter.

and caused to flow to its destination through at least one further reservoir from which it is intermittently removed by syphoning, the interbeing provided with a provided with stirring means, preferably air stirring means. The open parts of the vessel may be protected so as falling into them accidentally.

In the case when only two open Vessels are by liquid at the bottom of each vessel may be drained off after the charge has been transported.

The invention is further illustrated by the folunemulsified nitric ester.

Referring to Fig. 1, l represents The pipe 3 into which is forced. This stream of air es out of the tube by the perforations and stirring action of the rising bubbles of air ,itains the emulsion and re-emulsifies any nilycerine which may have separated out. The r 2 is also fitted with a drainage cock I, to litate cleaning. A syphon 5 is arranged to ty the tank 2 it contains 25 litres he emulsion, without reckoning the volume of air bubbles as part of the volume of the ilsion. The syphon 5 leads to the pipe 5, and se are adapted to lead emulsion away from tank 2 at the rate of 100 litres a minute. a pipe 6, which is approximately 50 feet long i will hold appproximately 35 litres of nitrocerine emulsion, leads to tank I which, like 2 tank 2, is fitted with an air stirrer 8, draina cock 9, and a syphon I leading into a pipe Pipe H is again approximately fifty feet 1g and leads to the point B. The syphon l0 so adjusted that it will not commence to empty tank 1 before the syphon has broken and eferably not until the pipe 6 is almost empty. Figure 1 illustrates the first stage in the cycle operations, the tank 2 has filled almost to phoning level. The emulsion in the tank is sing keptstirred by the streams of bubbles risg from the perforated pipe 3. At this stage l8 whole of the system is empty from the syphon to the point E.

Figure 2 shows the next stage. The syphon 5 as emptied the tank 2 at the rate of 100 litres er minute. As the tank is filling at the rate of 5 litres per minute approximately 30 litres of itroglycerine emulsion will have poured into the ipe 6 before the syphon 5 breaks. As the caacity of this pipe is 35 litres the syphon 5 will lave broken before any appreciable quantity of :mulsion has reached the tank I. At this stage here are two breaks in the column of emulsion )etween A' and B. Firstly a small but rapidly ncreasing gap at the syphon 5, and secondly a .ong gap, which is maintaining its length, in pipe H.

The next stage is shown in Figure 3. Here the pipe 6 is almost empty but the tank I. is full to the syphoning point. The tank 2 is about one third full. There is a long gap in the column of emulsion from the syphon 5 nearly to tank 1 and still a gap in pipe I I.

Figure 4 shows the tank 1 empty, the syphon it) having just broken. The tank 2 is two thirds full. There is a gap in from syphon 5 to the foot of tank 1.

When the pipe II has emptied, the tank 2 will again be full and the cycle will recommence. Preferably the tank 1 will be of such a size that the syphon ID will operate with certainty on the 30 gallons which is flowing in each cycle but it is of course possible to vary the size in comparison with the liquid which is carried in each cycle, but

the column of emulsion the smaller the size of the tank in comparison with the liquid carried in each cycle the shorter will be the break which it maintains in the column of emulsion; on the other hand, if a tank gets too large with respect to the liquid passing in each cycle there is a danger that a syphon will fail to work" in one cycle, and will operate when the first emulsion'of the next cycle flows into it. This will greatly reduce the length of the break in the emulsion, and, if the capacity of the pipes is small, may destroy it entirely for a time. The possibility of this occurring will be greatly minimised if three Or more tanks and syphons are used along the transport pipe instead of two. I

Fig. 5 illustrates a form of apparatus suitable for the transport of unemulsified liquid nitric ester. Except for'the fact that the air stirrers are omitted this is in all respects similar in form and function to the apparatus illustrated in Fig. I and the numbers refer to the corresponding parts in each case.

, from one building removed by syphoning,

This invention is a valuable advance in the art as it provides a method and apparatus wherewith explosive liquid nitric esters can be run to another without forming a column connecting the houses along which a detonation can propagate, this assists in confining any explosion which may occur during manufacture to one building and therefore contributes to the safety of manufacture.

As many seemingly widely different embodimerits of the invention will be apparent without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it must be understood that the invention is not limited to any specific embodiment except as defined in the appended claims We claim: 1

1. A method of transporting a liquid comprising an explosive nitric ester which comprises flowing the liquid under gravity to a reservoir from which it is intermittently syphoned and passed to its destination through at least one further reservoir from which it is intermittently the intermittent syphoning operations being so timed that they are never all working simultaneously.

2. A method of transporting a liquid comprising an explosive nitric ester in the emulsion in aqueous alkali which method comprises flowing the liquid under gravity to a reservoir from which it is intermittently syphoned and passed to its destination through at least one further reservoir from which it is intermittently removed by syphoning, the intermittent syphoning operations being so timedthat they are never all working simultaneously.

GEORGE BRYCE. VERNGN HARCOURT WILLIAMS.

form of any 

